


Seek

by tajador



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, Character Study, Childhood, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tajador/pseuds/tajador
Summary: A first meeting between two rich kids, similarities and contrasts born from unconventional childhoods.
Relationships: Kalim Al-Asim/Leona Kingscholar
Comments: 9
Kudos: 94





	Seek

**Author's Note:**

> i love exploring these two, such easily misunderstood yet incredibly painful upbringings. and lovely canon dynamics! most of their interactions are found in the fairy gala event story. kalim is very caring and protective towards leona, and leona is surprisingly tame and gentle with kalim!
> 
> did you know kalim has a home line where he says _i can't even keep count of the times i've been kidnapped as a child_? well now you know :)...
> 
> :(

Not quite lost but rather looking like he's perpetually playing hide & seek with invisible friends, the younger child navigates across the tables, humming his own songs, grabbing food off of other guests' plates, striking up conversation with the birds and shrews scrambling about rather than the people, human and beastkin alike, that crowded the great hall.

Leona watches him from the terrace, the tiny human clad in lines and layers of the finest silks and gold, each perfectly fitted to his tiny frame. Some dignitary's kid, probably. The boy struts out towards the terrace and Leona instinctively makes himself smaller, leaning into the shadows of a pillar. _(Don't cause a scene, stay in your corner.)_

"Oh! Hello!!" The kid notices him immediately, perceptive despite his day-dreamy disposition, like he knew to look beyond shadows for threats. What sort of childhood warrants that? One similar to Leona's, maybe. "Are you looking for a friend to play with?"

"No. Leave me alone." Leona sizes him up, eyes brighter than any of the jewels at his wrists and ankles. "I don't play with kids."

"But aren't you my age? Everyone here is sooo old! It's so boring! I don't get why mama and baba didn't want Jamil to come with us..." The child is rambling, seemingly convinced that Leona wants to hear all of it. "Anyways, I'm Kalim! What do you want to play?"

Leona waits for him to say something about his family name or his home but it never comes, this Kalim instead continuing his tirade while gesturing and blowing away Leona's bubble.

"Or we could dance! Oh, oh, do you play any sports? Did you watch last month's Magift tournament? What's your favorite animal?" Leona sighs as an answer to all of his questions, absentmindedly dragging a cup of water towards himself, not even bothering a look towards the waiter who was undoubtedly growling at him for levitating a cup out of their platter. _(Of course that cursed second son would be up to no good again.)_

The cup floats towards them effortlessly, but the moment Leona moves to reach for it behind Kalim's head, those eyes of ruby lose their light, the kid spinning around in a surprisingly quick reflex to smack it away, fear and instinct replacing his carefree smile in a split-second.

"Wait—-!" Leona manifests a gust of wind just in time to prevent the cup from shattering against the wall, his own reflexes in response to his father's words looping in his mind. _(Don't cause a scene. Be quiet.)_

"Oh!" Kalim laughs, himself again, quickly turning between Leona and the floating cup. "It's you! You can use magic! Wow!! That was surprising!"

And he laughs again, as if Leona hadn't just risked reprimands from his household due to this odd kid's reaction. Leona grabs the cup only to find it empty, all that tumbling around spilling its contents down on the floor tiles.

"I'll take care of that! Here!" Kalim places his hand against Leona's, both holding the bottom of the cup as a ticklish yet surprisingly pleasant surge of power spreads across Leona's hand. He watches the cup fill itself up, water slowly flowing out of the bottom. It's slow and steady, so much control and so little threat emanating from it, magic both pure and charitable. _(Stop! You're hurting your brother! Oh, why did you have to be born with these horrifying powers!?)_ "Tadaaah!"

"I am. Not drinking that." Leona squints into the cup, the water sparkling like the boy's eyes.

"What! Why not!!!" Kalim pouts, genuinely disappointed that Leona refuses to drink his magically conceived water. "It's really sweet and yummy! I wouldn't poison my new friend!"

Poison...? Where did he even get that idea? Leona raises his eyebrows, gives the cup a sniff. It did smell of a faint sweetness, its mana tingling his nostrils.

"Smells good, right? C'mon! Trust me!" Kalim is horribly persuasive in all of his laughs and smiles, enough to get through to Leona and his stubbornness, who defeatedly takes a sip of the cup.

Delicious. The magical nature of it seems to course through Leona's veins, his sensitivity to magic responding with goosebumps and pleasant shivers, healed, if only momentarily.

"Not bad." Leona's curt answer earns him another smile, more blinding than the Savannah sun.

"Yay! You liked it!" Kalim is waving his arms and skipping around again, obnoxious, more child than Leona ever got to be. _(That spoiled brat... When will he grow up and be more like his brother?)_ "Little lion, take these!"

"Don't call me that. It's Leona." Leona grunts but looks down at what Kalim was holding out towards him, a variety of freshly cut flowers like Leona had never seen them, clearly not native to the Savannah. "What's that?"

"Flowers!" Kalim beams, so proud of himself.

"I know that, stupid." But Leona chuckles anyways, this weird little cherub a welcome distraction. "Why give them to me?"

"Well... Mama said to give them to the prince... But I don't know him! So I'm giving them to you! Because you're my friend!" Kalim talks of Farena like a detail, a punchline, and a smile tugs at Leona's lips.

He hesitantly reaches out his free hand to take the bouquet but is interrupted by a woman walking out of the great hall and onto the terrace, striding towards Kalim with grace and beauty befitting a queen.

"Kalim! There you are!" She places her hands on the kid's shoulders, gentle and loving, as if he were made out of the most fragile ceramics. Leona's skin crawls, a touch he never knew. "You must come meet the prince! Your father is already conversing with him, and there you go running off again..."

"Don't worry, mama! I made a friend!" Kalim puts his hand over the woman's, grinning in all of his light. "He can use magic! Like me!"

The woman turns to Leona, sizes him up momentarily before gasping. "Prince Leona. An honour."

Kalim tilts his head curiously, looking at his mother as she introduces herself and then back at Leona.

"...And this is our first son, Kalim Al Asim." _Oh._ Of course. "Come now, Kalim. The prince is waiting."

"Can he use magic?" Kalim pouts, but his mother remains patient, calm. "And isn't he like, super old? Leona is way more fun!"

Leona chuckles as the woman sighs, holding Kalim's hand to guide him back inside.

He watches from his corner, sipping at the magicked water, letting it cool his gut as it threatens to break apart at the sight ahead of him. Kalim smiles at Farena before handing him the flowers that could have been his had Leona simply reached his hand out sooner, had he been willing to accept someone's warmth.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you :3 you can find more stories as well as thoughts & translations on my twst twitter: [@mrromrro](https://twitter.com/mrromrro) ♡


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